


The Road To Eden

by NightValeian



Series: Trials of the Serpent King [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Kingdom, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Battle Scenes, Dimension Travel, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Found Family, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Multi, Other, Past Character Death, Self-Doubt, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:50:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightValeian/pseuds/NightValeian
Summary: In the aftermath of The Fallen Prince, Ezra Fell continues his journey alongside Anthony Crowley as they make their way towards the Kingdom of Eden.But the journey back is filled with perils and with a traitor lurking in their midst, Ezra's task of keeping Crowley alive has suddenly become a lot more difficult than before.~Book 2 in the Trials of the Serpent King trilogy~
Relationships: Aziraphale & Gabriel (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Beelzebub & Gabriel (Good Omens), Crowley & Gabriel (Good Omens)
Series: Trials of the Serpent King [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913596
Comments: 40
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are on book 2~ 
> 
> If you have not read The Fallen Prince, I highly recommend it because you might be a bit confused.
> 
> Updates should be on a once a week, weekend-only schedule :)

The weeks following Eric’s death were incredibly difficult for the company, especially Crowley. They’d taken the liberty of burying the dead, offering their prayers and memories of their youngest company member, but despite having gone through the motions, no one had fully accepted what had happened to begin with. 

Crowley wasn’t really himself in the aftermath of Eric’s death. He was more withdrawn, spending most time throwing himself into plans for the journey onwards. He blamed himself, that was obvious, but Ezra blamed himself even more: for not paying more attention to the timing of it all, for not urging the company to go after Erik sooner, and for not stopping him when he announced his intentions to leave. 

However, Ezra never shed a tear. He remained strong for the company, for Crowley, bore the weight of it all on his own. Gabriel saw through his act very early on, offering a shoulder to cry on while reminding him that it’s alright to mourn Eric like everyone else, and that it wasn’t his fault. Ezra only offered a tight smile in response. 

Because of this, sleep hadn’t been coming easy for Ezra since the massacre. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the gruesome scene he and the rest of the company had seen in the weeks prior. They had long since moved forward with their journey, but Ezra could not bring himself to shake the memory. Night fell as it always did and Ezra found himself wide awake, staring up at the clear night sky. Another sleepless night it seemed, but a perfect one for some stargazing even if he would be on his own.

Ezra removed himself from his bedroll in silence, trying not to make much noise as he walked through the camp and made his way towards the river nearby. Perhaps a change of scenery would calm him enough to go back to sleep. He was surprised to see Crowley already there when he arrived. His hair was down, a cascade of red down his back while his face tilted upwards towards the sky. It was the first time in so long that Ezra had seen Crowley look so serene and he was terrified to ruin it for him.

They had hardly spoken since the massacre, with Crowley having thrown himself into the deep end of leadership again and Ezra having thrown himself into his guilt. There had just been no time for secret meetups, private conversations, or almost-kisses away from the group. The kiss they’d almost had following the bandit attack on their camp had never even been spoken of again and the longer they went without speaking, the more Ezra was afraid that Crowley was upset with him about the events that had occurred. 

Before Ezra could debate whether or not to stay or turn around and leave, Crowley turned his head to look back at him. Their eyes met, Ezra opened his mouth to apologize but the words died in his throat when Crowley merely smiled at him and patted the empty space beside him on the ground. 

“Aziraphale,” Crowley says and his voice is soft, his eyes are kind. “Come join me.” 

So Ezra approached and sat on the offered patch of ground, but said nothing and Crowley said nothing more either. They both tilt their heads back to look up at the stars, the only sounds around them are the rushing of the river and the wildlife of the forest. Ezra knew he had to say something because the silence between them is threatening to drown him, so he said the first thing that came into his head. 

“In my world, we’ve sent people into space to travel amongst the stars.” Ezra said. “Sometimes they spend months or even years up there, just exploring.”

“How do they get up there?” Crowley asks curiously, still staring up at the sky. 

“Big giant flying machines.” Ezra replied. “They launch them up into the air and it propels itself well into space where they float about in the stars.” 

“Your world never ceases to amaze me.” Crowley admits, shaking his head. They fall back into silence for a moment before Crowley sighs heavily. “We haven’t spoken very often lately. I apologize.” 

“Don’t apologize. We don’t have to talk about it.” Ezra says quickly. He doesn’t want to start talking about it because he was too afraid of the argument that may occur as a result. “It’s alright.” 

“I think we  _ should  _ talk about this.” Crowley says gently, turning his gaze from the sky to Ezra, trying to meet his eyes. “What happened was--” 

“My fault.” Ezra said suddenly, already accepting the blame for it all because why else would Crowley want to talk about it. Ezra turned his gaze back to the stars, avoiding Crowley’s eyes entirely. “It was all my fault.”

“Aziraphale--” 

“It was. I knew it was going to happen, but I couldn’t stop Eric from going and I thought we would have had more  _ time _ before the letter came a-and…” Ezra’s vision began to blur, his voice starting to shake, and he brought up a hand to scrub at his eyes out of frustration. This was not about him, this was about Eric. “Y-You must be so  _ angry _ with me.” 

“Why would I be angry with you?” Crowley asked immediately, his tone concerned. Ezra startled at the gentle touch against the side of his arm, the way Crowley’s fingers gently curl around his wrist and tug his hand from his eyes, exposing his tears. “ _ How _ could I ever be angry with you?” 

“I-I could have saved him...I-I  _ tried…” _

“I know you did. We all did. We did everything that we could.” Crowley soothes and when Ezra began shaking his head, Crowley shifted his grip from his wrist to his hand, giving a gentle squeeze. “Some things...are just meant to happen, angel. We’re not meant to stop every bad thing in the world as much as we wish we could.” 

“He was so young. He believed so much in all of this…” Ezra sniffled, wiping his eyes with his free hand while squeezing Crowley’s hand in return. “I wish he could have seen it through to the end.” 

“I do too.” Crowley agreed. “Which is why we have to finish it, no matter what. It’s what he would want.” 

“You say that in the book too, you know.” Ezra told him quietly. “That we should finish the journey for him.” 

“And we will.” Crowley promised. “I don’t want you blaming yourself for things you can’t control. You may know the end of the books in your world, but you may just have to watch it come to pass here and that’s alright.” 

“But--”

“ _ Aziraphale,” _ Crowley said and Ezra fell silent, looking at him with wide eyes. Crowley was smiling, not his crooked grin or one of his wider smiles, but it was warm and genuine. “We’ll get through it together, alright?” 

Ezra sniffed, looking down at their hands which were still clasped together on the ground. He didn’t care to pull his hand away and Crowley seemed to feel the same way, so Ezra just held on tightly. 

“Yes.” Ezra said softly in agreement, looking back up towards the stars. “Together.”

* * *

The longer Ezra spent in Eden, the more difficult it was to keep track of the events of the book and where they fell in regards to their current journey. Eric’s death brought the end of  _ The Fallen Prince  _ which should have started the events of  _ The Road to Eden _ , the second book in the trilogy, and yet Ezra hadn’t seen one single occurrence of anything that had to do with a change in books. 

It had been a little over a month and while the company had been steadily progressing towards the kingdom, nothing major had occurred since then, just traveling and interacting with one another. Ezra and Crowley had started spending most of their travel time together again while also picking back up stargazing together and exchanging conversation around the fire at night.It seemed almost too good to be true that nothing had come to interrupt their peaceful moments...until they finally showed up. 

Their name was Beelzebub, or Bee as they preferred to be called, and they had joined the company while they’d been passing through the next town. They were a bit on the shorter side with short, choppy black hair and a consistent scowl decorated their face no matter the conversation they were involved in. They were a talented fighter, skilled with daggers and close combat, and had somehow managed to win over the entire company. 

They were also a spy. 

Bee was a signature character that joined the company at the beginning of the second book in the trilogy which had finally given Ezra an idea as to where they were plot wise. Even so, he hadn’t been very pleased about their arrival. Bee joined the company with promises of good intentions, but midway through the book, sells them out to a band of assassins who nearly succeed in killing them all. It’s due to a sudden case of a classic found family trope that Bee has a change of heart, saves several lives, and in the end becomes an important asset to the company. 

The only issue was that in order to build that relationship, Bee would have to betray them first, and Ezra didn’t like it one little bit. He had been tempted to tell Crowley right from the start of what to expect, but he’d also known that Bee would have that change of heart and no one would be really hurt by their betrayal, so perhaps it would be alright  _ not _ to say anything. 

Perhaps he could even manage to persuade Bee to skip the betrayal altogether before the attack on the company and spare them all of the conflict. 

It was surprising for Ezra to see how quickly  _ Gabriel _ had taken to Bee after their arrival because they had never had any sort of relationship mentioned in the books. Gabriel was fascinated by their skillset, interested in hearing where they had learned everything, and Bee seemed just amused enough to indulge him with this information. 

“You’ve got your upset face on.” Crowley mentioned one evening as Ezra watched Gabriel and Bee talk on the other side of camp. Gabriel was in charge of the war table and planning for the final battle with Lucifer’s army, so he spent most of his time trying out different formations and strategies. Bee was quick to take an interest and it made Ezra a bit nauseous. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing is wrong and this isn’t my upset face.” Ezra pointed out with a frown. “This is just my face.” 

“Do you really think I don’t know you well enough to know when you’re upset?” Crowley asked curiously, following his gaze until he saw what his gaze was fixated on. “Is it about Bee and Gabriel?” 

“A little.” Ezra admitted. “They seem rather...fond of one another, don’t they?” 

“Is that something to be upset about?” 

“Of course not.” 

Crowley looked back at Ezra and studied his face for a long time. “You know, Gabriel is still your friend even if he’s found a new one, don’t you?” He asked gently. “He holds you higher than anyone else here.” 

“I know that.” Ezra said, finally looking away from the two of them to look at Crowley instead. Crowley was looking at him with concern, so Ezra smiled and tried to be convincing. “I’m alright, really. I’m being silly, that’s all.” 

“Right.” Crowley said quietly, then shook his head. “I was about to go to Gabriel and hear the new plans for the war table. Would you like to join us? Perhaps add some of your expertise?” 

“Yes, I think that might help take my mind off of things.” Ezra agreed and motioned forward. “After you.”

They both made their way towards Gabriel and Bee, who were immersed in moving different pieces across the war map and bickering about where the other had placed their piece. Gabriel seemed rather annoyed, really, moving Bee’s piece back across the map to where it had been while Bee grinned up at him in amusement. 

“You’re absolutely out of your mind if you think that this small group of soldiers would even stand a  _ chance _ if you pitted them against the entire royal army.” Gabriel was saying as the two of them approached and Bee snorted, rolling their eyes. 

“It was a  _ joke _ , Mister War Table.” Bee pointed out, seemingly delighted at his frustration. “Hardly anything serious!”

“It’s wonderful to see you two getting along.” Crowley interrupted cheerfully when they arrived. “Though I must ask: have you two actually gotten any work done over here?” 

“Not at all.” Bee informed him, the smile of delight fading into the usual scowl. “My apologies.” 

“Then I must ask you to continue your discussion at a different time. We do have some work to accomplish here.” Crowley told them and Bee bowed their head respectfully before walking off toward their tent. Gabriel was busying himself with resetting all of the pieces on the map while Crowley observed the placements. “It looks like it’s coming along, Gabriel. Well done.” 

“Thank you, Crowley.” Gabriel said politely, a touch of pride to his tone. “We’re coming in from the south, so they should approach us from the north, though I would anticipate smaller groups coming in from the sides if they end up expecting us.” 

“They will.” Ezra said, causing Crowley and Gabriel to look at him in surprise. He would never be used to that, taking them by surprise with his knowledge. “I-I mean...I can’t exactly tell you  _ how _ they’ll know, but I can tell you by the time we get there, they will be expecting us.” 

Gabriel nodded, rearranging a few of the soldier pieces into small groups flanking along the sides of the main group. “What do you think about that? We'll have some extra protection and we’ll be better prepared.” 

“It looks much better.” Ezra replied, studying the map and comparing it with his own vision of the final battle from the books. “We’ll have to fight our way through to get to Lucifer, but he’ll be there.” 

“You’re sure?” Gabriel asked and Ezra looked to Crowley who looked back, a solemn look on his face. “You’ve seen him?”

“Yes, I’ve seen him.” Ezra replied, picking up the piece that represented Lucifer from the map. He studied it for a moment, running through the details in his mind before setting it down directly behind the large mass that represented the army. “He’ll be waiting for us.” 

“Then we’ll be ready for him.” Crowley said firmly. “Walk me through the maneuver you’re considering in full, Gabriel, if you please.” 

“Of course.” 

* * *

They spent a good long while discussing new strategies with Ezra chiming in with slight corrections here and there. Gabriel’s plans were beginning to feel a bit more solid and fleshed out which left all three of them feeling reassured about the battle to come. Though the more they spoke about their approach to the kingdom, the more withdrawn Crowley seemed to become, instead staring blankly at the map laid out before him and barely saying a word. 

“Crowley?” Ezra asked, trying to catch his gaze with his own. “Crowley, are you alright?” 

“Hm?” Crowley blinked, looking quickly between Ezra and Gabriel before offering a sheepish smile. “Oh, yes, perfectly fine. Where were we?” 

“I do believe Aziraphale had suggested taking a bit of a break.” Gabriel told him carefully. “It’s been a long day of travel for all of us.” 

Ezra had  _ not _ been suggesting that, but one more look at Crowley’s face had him agreeing that it may not be a bad idea after all. “Yes, perhaps a bit of dinner and maybe a bit of rest.” He suggested. “The war table will still be here tomorrow.” 

“You’re right.” Crowley said, turning away from the table. “I think I’d rather take a walk actually.” 

“Alright.” Ezra said gently. “Would you like some company?” 

Crowley seemed to consider it for a long time, mulling the question over in his head before he finally nodded. “Yes, that would be nice.” 

“Then lead on.” Ezra said with a wave of his hand and proceeded to follow Crowley off into the woods. They walked together in silence until they were a small ways away from the camp, until there was nothing but them and the sounds of the forest around them. Crowley hadn’t said a word since they’d begun their walk and Ezra was starting to worry about what was bothering him. “Is something wrong?” 

“Nothing is wrong.” 

“You think I don’t know you well enough by now to know when something is bothering you?” Ezra asked teasingly, mirroring the words that Crowley had thrown at him earlier in the evening. “Remember? You can tell me anything.” 

Crowley seemed to consider this before letting out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping forward as if he carried the entire weight of the world there. He looked troubled, maybe even a bit upset, and Ezra wished more than anything to take that feeling away. 

“All my life I’ve wanted to make my parents proud of me.” Crowley said at last. “I wanted to live up to their legacy and rule as well as they had, but I failed within my first year on the throne. I ran the kingdom into the ground to the point they had to  _ banish _ me.” 

“Crowley, that wasn’t your fault--” 

“How else do you explain it? I was such a poor king that they banished me for it.” 

“They weren’t  _ helping _ you. Of course you weren’t going to do well.” Ezra said quickly. “Anthony, you were so  _ young--” _

“And now I’m marching back home to overthrow my own  _ uncle _ .” Crowley said, a tad of hysteria to his tone. “What kind of nephew does that?” 

“A responsible one.” 

Crowley shook his head. “I don’t think I can do this, Aziraphale.” 

“What?” Ezra asked. “What do you mean?” 

“The closer we get to the kingdom, the more I don’t think I can do this.” Crowley continued on. “What if I’m not a good king? What if I go back and it’s just the way it was before?”

“You’re not the same man you were before. You’ve changed.” Ezra said carefully. “You are more than prepared to be the leader your people need you to be and the people who dragged you down will no longer be there.” 

“You’re just saying that because that’s what you want to believe” 

“I’m saying it because I’ve  _ seen _ it.” Ezra said firmly. “Anthony, Eden is crumbling. The economy is in shambles and the people are suffering. It needs to be ruled by a Crowley, by  _ you _ .” 

“Aziraphale--”

“ _ No. _ I refuse to listen to you talk about yourself like this.” Ezra told him sternly. “You are a wonderfully kind man, no matter what anyone says. You have always put your people before you put yourself and you lead with your  _ heart _ which is exactly what your father and mother wanted you to do.” 

“You really think so?” 

“I know so.” Ezra said, his tone getting softer and much more gentle than the firm one he’d been previously using. “They would be so proud of you, Anthony. Just like I am. You have come so far and you just can’t turn back now.” 

“Sometimes I feel like you’re the only one who believes in me.” Crowley murmured, shaking his head. 

“I am  _ not _ the only one who believes in you.” Ezra emphasized, reaching out with his hands and placing them on his upper arms, gently shaking Crowley until he would meet his eyes again. “I am one of  _ many _ who believe in you."

"If you insist."

"Do you believe these men would have followed you all this way if they didn't think you could do this?" Ezra pressed, but Crowley still didn't look convinced. "Do you think _ I _ would follow you if I didn't believe in you?" 

"No, I suppose not." Crowley admitted after a moment. 

"Anthony, I've read your books. I  _ know _ how it all ends." Ezra tells him. "I may not be able to tell you how it all ends, but I know that you're an amazing leader and that you  _ are _ a man worth following."

"Thank you, Aziraphale." 

Crowley’s lips curled into a smile and Ezra couldn’t help but smile back, his knees nearly going weak because that smile was all his doing, and it was all for him. They were so close, so close that Ezra could see the darker flecks of gold in Crowley’s eyes, the small smattering of freckles across his cheeks. Ezra felt like he’d been thrown back to the moment in the tent, right before they’d left to find Eric, the moment that had been interrupted and never discussed again. 

“I feel like we’ve been here before.” Crowley said, his voice so soft and his hands came to rest on the curve of Ezra’s sides and went no further. “Or somewhere very close to it.” 

“I was thinking the same thing.” Ezra agreed, voice just as soft. “Perhaps...it’s time we talk about that?”

“We can do that.” Crowley told him. “Shall I go first?” 

“I-If you’d like.” 

“Azira--Erm...Ezra Fell, I believe myself to have become the luckiest man in the world the moment you came into my life.” Crowley began and Ezra felt his face flush with warmth. Never in his wildest dreams did he think anyone would ever be holding him like this and telling them how lucky they were to have  _ him _ . “You’ve been at my side every step of this journey, have supported me in my leadership, and have become one of my dearest friends.” 

Crowley paused, took a breath and Ezra’s eyes widened, his own breath caught in his throat while his fingers curled into the sleeves of Crowley’s shirt, holding on tight to brace himself for the words that followed. 

“It may be too fast. It may be  _ completely  _ ridiculous to you, but I do believe that I’ve fallen in love with you.” Crowley continued and Ezra’s knees  _ shook _ , threatening to collapse if Crowley hadn’t been there holding him up. “And I’d really like to kiss you, even just once, if that’s alright.” 

Ezra didn’t have the words to speak, but he managed to nod his head in reply. Crowley smiled shakily, clearly as nervous as Ezra felt, but he was always so brave and Ezra knew that he would go through with his intentions. Crowley’s hands left his waist, hovering hesitantly for a moment before they came forward to cup Ezra’s cheeks, warm cheeks nestled against equally warm palms. They stared at one another for a few moments, but those moments felt like they stretched on into hours before Crowley finally leaned in closer. 

When their lips finally touched, Ezra wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been really kissed, but he knew he had never been kissed like this. It was a soft and tender press of lips against his own, it was hands cradling his face as if he were something precious, and it was the silent promise of love that hung between them that made his heart race in his chest. Ezra found himself leaning into the kiss, his own hands shifting to instead wrap his fingers around Crowley’s wrists, squeezing gently. Never did he think one of his most intimate kisses would be with a character from a book and at this point, he hoped he never had to return home again. 

Crowley ended up pulling away first, breaking the kiss so that they both could take in a breath of air, but he didn’t move away at all. His hands remained in place on his face, but he leaned forward to press their foreheads together, his eyes still peacefully closed. They stood together for a long time, surrounded by the sanctuary of the trees, the only sound heard was their soft breathing. 

“I certainly hope that isn’t the last time you kiss me.” Ezra murmured after a moment, unable to keep himself from smiling as Crowley opened his eyes in surprise. “No one has ever kissed me like that before.” 

“Kissed you like what before?” 

“Like they loved me.” 

“Then they were fools.” Crowley told him seriously, thumbs stroking gently against Ezra’s skin. “I, for one, will never be so foolish as to make you ever feel unloved.” 

“Oh, Anthony…” Ezra breathed and leaned back in, his arms coming up to wind around Crowley’s neck and dragging him back in for another kiss. This one was briefer and he pulled away for a moment to sigh against Crowley’s lips. “ _ Darling…” _

“Angel--” 

“King Crowley! Your majesty!” A chorus of voices called out from the trees and Ezra pulled away from Crowley just as several scouts stumbled out from the shrubbery. “Sir, there’s urgent news!” 

“Collect yourselves, lads. What’s going on?” Crowley asked, completely unphased. He shifted from lovestruck man to the epitome of leadership in the blink of an eye. 

“Sir, we’ve seen soldiers approaching from the north.” One of the scouts said breathlessly. “T-They’re Lucifer’s soldiers, coming right for us.” 

Ezra looked at Crowley in alarm and Crowley glanced back at him. They shared a long look before Crowley turned his gaze back to the scouts. 

“Gather the men, lads. Let them know we’re preparing for a battle.” The scouts scrambled off to the camp to do as they were told to do and Crowley turned back to Ezra, offering a weak smile. “I suppose we will never have a peaceful moment to ourselves.” 

“We had our moment and we can have plenty more once this scuffle is over.” Ezra said reassuringly, reaching out for his hand which Crowley took and raised to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to his skin. “Just be careful, my dear.” 

“It’s you I’m worried about.” Crowley reminded him. “Be safe, angel. Don’t die on me out there.” 

“I won’t, darling.” Ezra promised. “I’ll be just fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A journey home. 
> 
> A reunion. 
> 
> A heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day later than planned, but life got in the way. 
> 
> Thank you for waiting!

The soldiers had arrived at their camp before they had even managed to fully prepare for them. They’d barely had the time they’d needed to put on armor and gather their weapons before a group of Lucifer’s soldiers broke through the covering of the surrounding trees with their swords already drawn for the attack. 

“Brace yourselves, lads!” Crowley shouted, trying to be loud enough to be heard from where he stood before turning to Ezra, reaching out and giving his arm a squeeze. Ezra stared up at him, his eyes wide, his heart pounding, and opened his mouth because there were so many things he wanted to stay before they headed off into battle, but Crowley simply shook his head. There was no time for this. “You stay close to me, understand?” 

“Yes, Crowley.” 

“I mean it. Don’t you wander off.” Crowley warned, gaze drawn to something immediately behind Ezra and swung his sword up just as another came down, just centimeters from making contact with Ezra’s head. The clang of metal was nearly deafening and left Ezra’s ears ringing, but as Crowley shoved the soldier back, he dragged Ezra behind him. “And be careful!” 

“I am being careful!” Ezra exclaimed, raising his own sword and blocking an attack from yet another soldier’s weapon. He’d been up against the average bandit before, but these were actual soldiers and Ezra wasn’t feeling too confident in his fighting abilities. “Well, as careful as I can!”

The fighting carried on, clang after clang ringing out through the clearing. Crowley and Ezra kept close to one another for as long as they could, back-to-back, keeping one another safe to the best of their ability, but it was only a matter of time before a soldier made a well-timed maneuver which caused Ezra’s sword to fly out of his hand and land a short distance away.

Ezra blinked and stared at the soldier in front of him for a moment before he took off to go gather his sword from where it had landed on the ground. Unfortunately, the soldier was quick to follow and even after Ezra bent to scoop up his sword, he continued to run into the shelter of the forest. 

“Aziraphale?! Aziraphale, where the bloody hell--!” 

Even as Crowley’s voice called out for him, Ezra continued to run, too afraid to turn around and head back into the brawl or face the soldier chasing after him. Ezra waited until he got a good distance away before he spun around, sword raised, and ready to defend himself.

The soldier lunged at him again and again, but a well-timed dodge caused the sword to get lodged into the bark of a nearby tree, and Ezra took the opportunity to flee, putting distance between them with ease. As he was fleeing, running as fast as his feet could carry him back to the clearing, his stomach lurched and he stumbled to a stop. Ezra placed a hand on his stomach and took a deep breath, fighting through a sudden wave of nausea as he continued to make his way back to where the main fighting was taking place. 

“Not yet...Not  _ now.” _ Ezra hissed to whatever magical force held him, whatever force found it enjoyable to drag him back and forth between the two different worlds he called home while he forced himself to take step after step. “I have to  _ tell _ him I’m going. I-I just need...a moment more,  _ please _ .” 

Ezra took a step, then another, and another towards the sounds of swords clashing, of men shouting, and of Crowley’s voice calling out orders above the noise. Every step forward felt like Ezra was trudging through the thickest mud, a kind that prevented him from lifting his feet and from moving any faster, but he continued to try even as his strength left him.

“I-I will  _ not _ let you take me yet. I need to  _ see _ him.” 

He couldn’t go back to his world, not now, possibly not ever. Maybe he could try to fight through it, maybe if he tried hard enough he could force himself to stay. Ezra wanted to stay more than anything; he wanted to stay with Crowley. 

It felt like an eternity had passed as he forced himself onward, feet dragging across the ground with each step. Ezra stumbled just before he’d breached the clearing and his hands flung out to grip the first thing he could reach. His hands scrambled against the bark of the tree, but he managed to steady himself and keep himself upright as he stared out at the mess of fighting that continued on in the clearing. 

Ezra’s eyes found Crowley with ease even with his dirtied face and disheveled hair. His full attention was on the fighting, his voice calling out orders and reassurances to the men around him, and he looked every bit of the king Ezra knew he would become. 

Ezra sagged against the tree, slowly sinking to his knees. He hoped he could come back soon.

He summoned what remained of his strength and he called out:

“ _ Anthony _ !” 

Ezra’s vision began to darken at the edges, but he was just barely able to see Crowley start to turn around towards the sound of his voice before the feeling of falling wrapped itself around him and the ground rushed up to meet him.

* * *

Ezra woke on the floor of his bookshop with a start, laying beside the books he had dropped when he had returned to Eden nearly a month prior. The bookshop was a mess of dust and disarray, but Ezra couldn’t bring himself to get off of the floor, merely laying there for a long time and simply staring up at the ceiling. 

He sniffed, blinking away the burning behind his eyes. 

He didn't know what to do, he didn’t know how to get back and if he could even go back, how long would it take this time? Days? Weeks? Would Crowley and the company be alright without him there? 

It wasn’t  _ fair. _ He’d wanted to  _ stay _ . Not only had he come to see the company as a family of his own, Crowley  _ loved _ him and Ezra loved him in return! Why was the magic that brought them together constantly forcing them apart? 

Ezra continued to stare up at the ceiling for a moment more before he closed his eyes. It was so quiet in the shop, very unlike the lively sounds of the camp at night, but if he tried hard enough, he could almost hear their voices and the crackling of the campfire. If he tried even harder, he could imagine the hard floor beneath him was soft grass and the ceiling was instead the night sky, bright with stars. 

It wasn’t until he tried to imagine a hand squeezing his own, a soft voice telling him of the stars and calling him angel that Ezra finally allowed his tears to fall. 

* * *

The bookshop had been closed for something close to a month prior to Ezra’s return but even afterward, the doors remained closed and locked. Ezra spent the days cleaning up the shop, preparing to reopen the following week once things were back in order. He thought keeping himself occupied would take his mind off of Eden, off of Crowley, but occasionally he would find his mind wandering, and on those days, he would turn in early, too upset to continue. 

He had been home for two days already and he’d turned in early during both of them. 

On the morning of the third day, Ezra hadn’t even bothered to go down to the shop and opted to not leave his bed at all. 

He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to leave his bed again. 

* * *

Ezra came into awareness to the sound of voices. 

When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the hard ground outside as opposed to the soft bed that he had fallen asleep in earlier that evening. He sat up slowly, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked around in alarm. 

Had he come back to Eden after only three days? Was this really happening or was it simply his mind playing a cruel trick on him? 

“Hello?” He called out hesitantly towards the voices. “Hello? Is someone there?”

The voices went silent after his inquiry and Ezra shakily got to his feet. 

“Someone? Anyone! Hello?” 

Again, he was met with silence and it stretched on for several long moments until…

“Mister Aziraphale?” The voice called back carefully and Ezra took off towards the sound, letting it guide him towards the familiar voice. “Is that you? Where are you?” 

“Here! I’m here!” Ezra called out as he burst into the clearing and found himself absolutely relieved to see the sea of familiar faces. Each one of them looked startled by his sudden appearance, but he couldn’t help but smile. 

The company stared at him in wonder, each expression the perfect definition of disbelief and maybe a bit haunted, like they had maybe seen a ghost. The silence was suffocating and Ezra felt the smile start to slip from his face the longer that it lingered. 

How long had he been  _ gone? _

“Aziraphale!” Gabriel’s voice rose up over the crowd and Ezra turned his head in the direction of the sound, watching as Gabriel pushed through the sea of bodies to get to him. “Move,  _ move _ ! Let me see him!” 

Ezra didn’t move, didn’t say a word even when Gabriel finally managed to escape the crowd and came to stand before him. His eyes were burning, his vision began to blur, the ache that had been building in his chest ever since he had gone home was nearly unbearable as it clawed at his insides with desperation. 

He’d never seen Gabriel like this, not once had he ever seen him so upset, and Ezra had caused that. 

“Where have you  _ been?” _ Gabriel demanded, his own eyes wet and voice hoarse. His hands came up as if to grab onto him, maybe to hold him, but then they dropped uselessly to his sides and curled into fists “I thought...W-We  _ all _ thought you were--How could you just vanish like that? We were worried sick! We thought you’d been killed or--It’s been  _ weeks _ , Aziraphale!” 

_ Weeks. _

In his world, it had only been a handful of days, but here? Weeks? What had he missed? 

“And what in the  _ world _ are you wearing? I haven’t seen you in clothes like this since the day we met.” Gabriel continued on. “Honestly, Aziraphale, haven’t you got anything to say for yourself?” 

“I’m sorry.” Ezra whispered, because what else could he say? Any time he returned home he only ended up worrying the people who cared so much about him and he couldn’t even tell them where he had gone or  _ why. _ It was a wretched feeling, guilt, even if he had no control over the circumstances that caused it. He choked out a sob, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. “I-I’m  _ so _ sorry.” 

The fight left Gabriel in a rush at the sight of Ezra apologizing through his tears and before he could say or do anything else, Ezra shuffled forward until his forehead came to touch his chest, arms hanging limply at his sides. Gabriel lifted his arms again, wrapped them around Ezra’s shoulders, and simply held him which only caused Ezra to cry harder. “Don’t apologize...Just  _ tell  _ me you’re alright.” Gabriel begged softly, his own voice thick with emotion and Ezra was so grateful that his face was hidden so that he couldn’t see Gabriel’s tears. “Tell me you weren’t hurt or taken advantage of...Just tell me you were safe.” 

Ezra sniffled, but slowly nodded his head, not quite trusting his voice yet. He couldn’t tell Gabriel the truth, not yet, but he  _ could _ tell him that he wasn’t hurt and was never in any real danger. The worst part about it all was that the entire company had been worried that he’d been kidnapped or killed when in reality he’d just been at home, struggling to come back. The tension in Gabriel’s posture slowly eased up at Ezra’s nod, comforted by the knowledge that he was unharmed, but he didn’t release him from his hold. 

“Is it true? Is it him? Let me pass.” Another voice rang out over the crowd and Ezra jerked back out of Gabriel’s embrace, eyes widening when the crowd parted and Crowley stepped out. Oh, how he’d  _ missed _ him and Ezra found that he simply could not stop staring at him. “...Aziraphale?” 

“ _ Anthony…”  _ The tears returned with a vengeance, spilling down his cheeks at the sight of the man he loved so dearly. Ezra withdrew completely from Gabriel’s embrace and after that, he moved almost as if he were on autopilot. His feet moved before his mind could fully catch up to what he was doing and he took step after step until he was close enough to throw his arms around Crowley’s neck. Crowley didn’t hesitate for a moment before wrapping his arms around him in return, curling his fingers into the fabric of his coat. “Oh, Anthony…”

“I’ve got you.” Crowley murmured, pressing his face into his hair. Neither of them paid any mind to the murmurings of the group around them. In fact, anything outside of the two of them completely faded into obscurity until their only focus was just on each other. “You’re back. You’re with us. Everything is alright now.” 

“I-I’m sorry...I didn’t  _ want _ to go…” Ezra choked out, pulling back to look at Crowley’s face, his hands moving to stroke at loose strands of red hair then moving to trace the dark circles under his eyes with his fingertips. Crowley looked exhausted, paler which caused the dark circles to be even more prominent on his face. “Oh, my darling, have you slept at all since I’ve been gone?” 

“Not very well at all.” Crowley admitted, his own hands moving to cup Ezra’s face, cradling his cheeks in his warm palms. His calloused thumbs gently wiped at the tears sliding down his face, catching them mere seconds after they escaped his eyes. Crowley leaned in, pressing kiss after kiss to his face, along his cheeks and nose until he had kissed every inch of available skin. “I knew you would come back, but I still--” 

“I know, I  _ know. _ I am so sorry.” Ezra murmured. “I tried to come back, I swear I did, but I just...couldn’t.” 

Someone behind them cleared their throat and Crowley lifted his head calmly to look around at the surrounding crowd. Most of them were looking at them in awe, amazed that their affection for one another was so open and raw in front of them, and Ezra had nearly forgotten that they had never gotten the chance to be open about their relationship before being thrown into the heat of battle. “And what are you all looking at?” Crowley asked, arms tightening around Ezra until his face was obscured from their view. “Don’t you all have something better to do?

Some of the men grumbled, taking their leave to return to their assigned tasks until only Gabriel remained, staring at them in wonder for a moment before he managed to give them both a smile, wiping discreetly at his eyes as he departed as well. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” Ezra said softly, shaking his head. “We probably shouldn’t have sprung that on them before we told them.” 

“As if it’s any of their business what I do with the man I love.” Crowley scoffed, bumping his forehead against Ezra’s affectionately. “I...I was worried, you know. The longer you were gone--”

“How long  _ was _ I gone?” Ezra asked softly.

“Two and a half weeks.” Crowley replied and Ezra let out a wounded noise, pulling back slightly from his hold. “What? What’s wrong?” 

“I had started to think that time flowed the same here as it did back in my world.” Ezra told him quietly, then shook his head. “It’s not doing it that way anymore. I was gone three days in my world, but two  _ weeks _ here.”

Crowley considered this for a few moments before sighing. “Perhaps the magic that pulls you here has a different plan in mind for you.” He suggested. “It may be some sort of test.” 

“A  _ test?” _ Ezra asked in exasperation. “Darling, I don’t  _ want  _ to be tested. I just want the magic to keep me here.” 

Crowley blinked, clearly surprised by his statement. “Now, hold on a minute.” He began carefully. “Ezra--” 

“What in the name of Eden are you doing out of bed?” Ezra pulled away from Crowley completely to peek around him, surprised to see the camp’s healer approaching them with a brisk pace. “You’re supposed to be  _ resting _ , Crowley!” 

“Resting?” Ezra asked in surprise. “Why would you need to be resting?” 

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Crowley said quickly. “It’s just a scratch--” 

“ _ Just _ a scratch? You were very seriously hurt in that attack!” The healer exclaimed. 

“What do you  _ mean _ that you were hurt?” Ezra asked, absolutely horrified, pulling his hands away from touching Crowley in fear of somehow hurting him further. “You’re hurt? Right now?!”

“What our generous healer  _ means _ to say is--”

“That he is  _ still _ hurt.” The healer fussed, pointing her finger in his direction. “ _ You _ should be in bed  _ resting _ , Crowley. You’re still healing from your injury!” 

“Crowley!” Ezra exclaimed in alarm and Crowley gave him a weak grin. “If the healer tells you that you should be resting, then you should be  _ resting _ !” 

“But you’ve only just gotten back--” 

“I’m not going to leave you when you’re injured, I can come with you.” Ezra said, exasperated. He tucked his arm through Crowley’s and began to gently tug him back towards his tent. “Come along, you need to lay down, rest, and then tell me everything that happened to the company while I was gone.” 

The healer accompanied them both back to Crowley’s tent, fussing as she made him lay back down on his cot. “Carefully, your highness!” She urged and Crowley laid back with a soft groan. Ezra took a step back so the healer could work with no interference, but as she lifted the fabric of Crowley’s tunic and moved aside the white bandages, he caught a glimpse of the ugly, jagged gash that stretched across his stomach. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Crowley told him and Ezra could only imagine how horrified he looked at the sight of the injury. “It’s nearly healed, it just flares up every once and awhile.” 

“It wouldn’t be taking so long if you would just  _ rest _ .” The healer emphasized, shaking her head as she righted the bandages and the tunic once again. “He is a terrible patient, Mister Aziraphale.” 

“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Ezra admitted, taking her place at Crowley’s bedside when she moved away. He sat gently on the edge of the bed, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he stays in place.” 

“You’re a right angel, Mister Aziraphale.” She said before stepping out of the tent and disappearing into camp. After she had left, Ezra found his gaze drawn back to the area where the horrible gash lay hidden, found he just couldn’t look away, even when Crowley reached to take his hand and run his calloused thumb over his knuckles. 

“Aziraphale--” 

“She said you were injured in the attack...Is that true?” Ezra asked quietly after a moment.

“It’s true.” Crowley told him gently. “It was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.” 

“It looks like it was very serious.”

“I won’t lie to you and say it wasn’t.” Crowley replied, tone cautious as he studied Ezra’s reaction. He squeezed his hand gently, trying to gain his full attention “I’m alright now.” 

“I should have been here.” Ezra murmured miserably, bowing his head. “You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I’d been here. I am so  _ sorry, _ darling.”

“Angel, this isn’t your fault.” Crowley interjected firmly. “The magic pulled you back to your own world and that isn’t something that you can control.” 

“I would rather it  _ stop _ taking me back altogether.” Ezra said suddenly, angrily. He blinked back the tears building behind his eyes furiously and when they simply would disperse, Ezra dragged his free hand across the wet streaks on his face. “I want to  _ stay _ here.” 

“Don’t say that. This place...This isn’t your world, this is a book.” Crowley lifted his free arm and caught a freshly falling tear with the back of his finger, gently wiping it away. “Your world is your home.”

“I don’t think my world has been home in a very long time.” Ezra sniffed, tilting his head into the touch against his cheek. He’d missed this; he’d only been gone for a few days, but the ache Crowley’s absence had left in his chest had been borderline unbearable. “I...I think my home is here now.” 

“But--”

“I find myself missing you something terrible when I’m dragged back to my own world.” Ezra admitted. “I miss the company and I miss traveling. Even if you and I don’t...well, continue on as we are, I feel like I would be happier here among friends and in a kingdom ruled by you.” 

Crowley stared at him for a long time, taking in his words, his sincerity and then lifted his hand to his lips, brushing his lips against his skin. “Very well.” He agreed softly. “Though, you should know, if you stay here, I will never let you go.” 

Ezra smiled, a tiny thing, but only because he was fighting the grin that threatened to spread across his face. “Is that so?”

“Absolutely so.” Crowley grinned. “I don’t think I could see myself spending my life beside anyone else.”

“I’m terribly boring, my dear.” Ezra warned him. “I spend hours engrossed in books and talk about what I’ve read.”

“Then I look forward to listening to you talk for hours about what you’ve read.” Crowley pointed out. “I can only hope you will be able to handle how often I take walks in the gardens or chart the stars.” 

“As long as I’m with you, I do believe I’ll be at my happiest.” 

Crowley smiled and it filled Ezra with a rush of warmth. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

* * *

Someone was watching him. 

Ezra had only just left Crowley to rest while he went to go gather a change of clothes for himself, but the moment he’d left the tent, he’d felt eyes on him. Even as he walked from one end of the camp to the other, those eyes continued to follow. 

“Alright, Mister Aziraphale?” Ligur asked him as Ezra approached one of the carts with the extra supplies. “Good to see you back.” 

“Oh, yes, thank you. It’s wonderful to be back.” Ezra replied cheerfully, digging through the extra clothes for something that might fit him. It occurred to him that perhaps he should wear his clothes from Eden while he was back waiting in his world, then he wouldn’t have to change clothes every time he came back. “Just looking for something to change into.” 

“Should be a few things in there for you.” Ligur said with ease, patting him on the shoulder. “See you at dinner then?” 

“Yes, of course. See you at dinner.” 

The eyes were still on him, even long after Ligur walked away, and with a quick glance around the area to observe that no one else was around, he decided to speak again.

“Is there something that I can help you with?” Ezra asks, not glancing up. “You’ve been watching me for an awfully long time.” 

“How did you know I was there?” It was Bee who walked out from behind another supply cart, a scowl in place as always. “I was hiding incredibly well.”

“Is that what you want to ask me?” 

“No.” 

“Then ask.” 

“Where do you go when you’re not here?” Bee asked suspiciously. “Hastur told me you have a tendency to disappear for days or weeks at a time with absolutely no explanation.” 

“Hastur is not wrong.” Ezra admitted, glancing at Bee curiously. “Is that suspicion I hear in your tone?” 

“Is there reason for me not to be suspicious? How do Crowley and the company know they can trust you?” Bee continued thoughtfully. “How do they know you’re not--”

“A spy?” Ezra finished for them and Bee visibly faltered. It was honestly impressive just how well Bee was able to hide their true intentions from everyone and how they were seemingly trying to accuse  _ Ezra _ of turning against the party. “Because they know I would never betray them. I have their trust.” 

“You seem so certain.” Bee pointed out. “And yet you vanish into thin air and tell no one where you’ve been.”

“Crowley knows where I’ve been.” 

“Then why did he nearly drive himself to exhaustion while looking for you the day you disappeared?” Bee challenged. “If he knew, he wouldn’t have been in such a blind panic.”

Bee was a very good actor, Ezra couldn’t deny them that.

“He was in a blind panic because he loves me.” Ezra said simply. “We all worry about each other here. We’re like a family.” 

“A family.” Bee scoffed. “See how much you treat one another like family if Crowley is back on the throne.” 

“If?” 

“...When.” Bee corrected carefully. “When Crowley is back on the throne.” 

“Of course.” Ezra said gently, though he knew better. He studied their expression for a moment, wondering just how he could reach Bee’s better nature. How could he convince Bee that the company was worth saving and that they didn’t have to take the next step to arrange the assassin attack. “You know, as a member of the company, we consider you family as well.” 

Bee rolled their eyes. “You barely know me.” 

“Well, that should change with time, shouldn’t it?” Ezra suggested. “We’ve all felt the same when we first joined the company, out of place. Myself and Gabriel included.” 

Something flickered behind Bee’s eyes at the mention of Gabriel’s name, but they merely sniffed and glanced off to the side. “I can imagine Gabriel feeling so out of place.” They said casually. “He’s so bloody tall.” 

Ezra blinked, startled by just how much humor lay behind that statement until he began to laugh. “He is quite tall, isn’t he?” He agreed, shaking his head. “Yet, he wound up fitting in so well here, finding a place amongst these people and a future with the future king of Eden. Just as I’m sure you will in time.” 

Bee stared at Ezra for a long time, suspicious, the question standing silently behind their eyes. He wondered if he’d struck that nerve just yet, if he’d gotten through to them in time to stop the upcoming attack and completely divert the plot of the book before it came to light. 

“Yes, perhaps I will.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? c:


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truths come out.
> 
> Arguments are had. 
> 
> Another book comes to an end.

Ezra had similar conversations with Bee over the next handful of days. They would find each other when they were alone, usually in the evenings when Crowley was off completing his leadership responsibilities. Ezra would mostly talk about Crowley while Bee mostly talked about Gabriel. 

Tonight was another one of those nights. Ezra was alone, waiting for Crowley to finish up whatever duty he'd been asked to do, and suddenly Bee was occupying the empty space beside him without even saying a word. Even knowing that Bee was trained to be so quiet on their feet didn't stop him from being surprised when they just appeared seemingly out of thin air.

"I thought you would have been with Gabriel." Ezra said softly after a few moments, breaking the silence between them. 

"Why would you assume that?" Bee sneered. 

“You spend an awful lot of time together, don’t you?” Ezra inquired. “You and Gabriel?” 

“So?” 

“Just an observation.” Ezra said with a laugh, holding up his hands defensively. “You two seem very close, that’s all.” 

“Gabriel and I have a lot in common with tactics, that’s all.” Bee objected though Ezra could see the growing flush on their face in the firelight. “It can’t be any more than that.” 

“Certainly not with that attitude.” Ezra told them gently. “Gabriel is a good person. He’s brilliant and incredibly brave--” 

“It’s not about Gabriel. It’s about me.” Bee said sharply, then seemed to deflate, running a hand over their face. Ezra was startled by the admission and could see that Bee seemed to be gearing up to tell him something, something important. “Aziraphale, I have to tell you something.” 

"Oh? What is it?" 

"Aziraphale, I'm--"

“Aziraphale,” Ezra jumped at the sound of a new voice behind him. Bee’s mouth snapped closed and they immediately turned their eyes away which confirmed that it was in fact Gabriel standing behind him. “I was running through some new strategies on the battle map and I was wondering if you would look them over.” 

“Of course. One moment.” Ezra said, turning back to look at Bee in order to apologize, but Bee stood up. “No, you don’t have to--” 

“Duty calls, Mister Aziraphale.” They said simply, posture rigid. “Goodnight.” 

Ezra sighed, shaking his head as he watched them walk off before standing up himself. He would have to check in on them later and hopefully, get the confession out of them they’d been about to come forward with. He put on a smile and turned to Gabriel. “Shall we then?” 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt if that was important.” Gabriel said, his own eyes still staring after Bee as they walked off. 

“Oh, don’t you worry. We’ll catch up later.” Ezra said reassuringly. “Now come show me your battle plans.” 

* * *

“No, no...That won’t do at all.” 

“Then...how about something like this?” Gabriel inquired, switching some of the pieces around. Ezra reached out and batted his hand away before moving more pieces around thoughtfully in a completely different arrangement. “Are you sure?” 

“We’ll need the defenses along the sides, but we also need the front groups and back groups guarded. They’re going to come at us with everything that they have, Gabriel. We can’t afford to take risks.” 

“What if we padded the front and the rear with some of our stronger soldiers?” Gabriel suggested. “Our less skilled fighters will be in the middle, given a bit more protection.” 

“So you will be upfront and I will be in the middle.” Ezra teased and Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I’m teasing, but yes, it sounds like a wonderful idea. I told you that you had a great mind for tactics.” 

“I don’t know how good my tactics would be if you weren’t here.” Gabriel pointed out. “Everything I put down, you change.” 

“Even if I weren’t here, your strategies would be fine.” Ezra reassured him. “I’m just...taking advantage of my situation with the whole knowing the future thing. Protect as many of the company as possible.” 

“We can only remain so safe.” Gabriel told him gently. “We can’t save everyone as much as we wish we could even with your gifts.” 

Ezra sighed. “Yes, I know--”

“We’re under attack!” Someone shouted from the other side of the camp drawing both Ezra and Gabriel’s attention. “Everyone, be at arms! Assassins!” 

“Oh no…” Ezra whispered. This is what Bee had been trying to tell him. They’d been trying to tell him that that attack was happening  _ tonight.  _ They really  _ had _ had the change of heart that he’d been hoping to instill in them; oh, why hadn’t he insisted on listening? “Crowley...I-I have to find Crowley.” 

“Not on your own you’re not.” Gabriel told him sharply, drawing his sword from its sheath and taking Ezra by the arm as sounds of men shouting clashed with the sounds of weapons meeting. “Stay close to me. Don’t wander off.” 

The camp was in chaos and already, they had suffered losses from the company. There were bodies of friend and assassin alike scattered about the camp and Ezra could barely hear anything over the blood pounding in his ears. His eyes found Hastur and Ligur in the middle of a scuffle with two assassins, but he did not see Crowley and it was making him sick to his stomach. 

“Where is he?” Ezra asked quietly, keeping close to Gabriel’s side as they made their way through the chaos. “Do you see him?” 

“Not yet.” Gabriel told him before stopping his walking suddenly to yank Ezra behind himself, blade raising to meet another blade as it swung down at them. “I don’t understand! How did they find us?!” 

Ezra knew, he knew all too well, but the words wouldn’t come forward. These assassins were strong, stronger than he’d realized, and Ezra desperately wished he’d been carrying his sword on his person so he could  _ help _ because Gabriel was being pushed back. Ezra had been considering just throwing himself at this assassin in the means of a distraction, but before he could step forward, Bee appeared out of the fighting and delivered a swift blow to the assassin, knocking them to the ground and saving Gabriel’s life. 

“Nice of you to join us.” Gabriel said with a huff of laughter and Bee rolled their eyes. 

“The words you were looking for are ‘thank you’.” 

Now it was Ezra’s turn to roll his eyes before he began scanning the crowd for Crowley again. He caught a glimpse of red hair, heard the faint call of his voice, and before he knew it, he was making his way across the camp to go be at his side. The assassins were falling in numbers, not quite retreating, but instead making last ditch efforts at killing as many as they could.

“Crowley!” Ezra called as he approached and it wasn’t until he met Crowley’s eyes that he felt the additional set of eyes on him from behind. He saw Crowley abandon his current fight and start running towards him at full speed.

“ _ Aziraphale!” _

The heavyweight of Crowley’s body crashing into him knocked Ezra clear off of his feet, just as a dagger whizzed past his head. Both of them hit the ground rather hard, so hard that when Ezra’s head hit the dirt, his vision went dark for who knew how long. It was the gentle tapping of fingers against his cheek and a concerned voice calling his name that roused him not long afterward.

“Aziraphale, can you hear me?” Crowley asked urgently and Ezra groaned, slowly opening his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry at first, but it took a few blinks for his eyes to adjust and Crowley’s face to come into view. Crowley laughed, relieved at the sight of him awake and aware, and moved his hands to gently cradle his face. “ _ There _ you are. Are you alright?”

“Mm...Hit my head.” Ezra mumbled, but he stared up at Crowley with rapt attention. The moon was positioned just so behind Crowley’s head in the mock version of a halo, causing his hair to take on a much more ethereal glow. Ezra chuckled breathlessly despite the pain in his head and reached to put his hand over Crowley’s. “You saved me... _ My _ angel.” 

Crowley’s cheeks flushed a very dark color which Ezra could easily see even in the dark of night and he bent to press their foreheads together, closing his eyes. It was obvious that Crowley had been on edge because of the attack, but when Ezra had hit his head, it probably sent him into a full-fledged panic. 

“He must have hit his head harder than we thought.” Hastur teased from somewhere above. “The Serpent King, an angel.”

“Shut up.” Crowley hissed at him before withdrawing from Ezra, removing his hands from his face to instead take one of his hands and helping him sit back up. “Take it slow. Do you need the healer?” 

“No, no...I’m fine.” Ezra said quietly, looking around. The company seemed to be fine, some brushing the dirt from their clothes while others were collecting their weapons. The assassins were gone, having been properly disposed of. “Everyone’s okay?” 

“Everyone is fine. We lost a few men, but...everyone else is fine. Assassins were taken care of.” Crowley reassured him before squeezing his hand. “Can you stand?” 

Ezra considered it for a moment then shook his head slowly. His head was throbbing and he was feeling a bit dizzy on top of it. He didn’t want to risk it. “Will you help me?” He asked and Crowley nodded, pulling on his hand to help him get back onto his feet. He swayed unsteadily, but Crowley held his arms firmly to help him stay put. “Thank you, darling.” 

They’d suffered a few casualties, but they’d managed to stop the attack, and Bee had gone out of their way to protect against the assassins they had led there. So far, everything was still going along with the book, which could only mean the worst was yet to come. 

“King Crowley,” Bee announced, approaching the two of them with Gabriel trailing not too far behind. Gabriel looked confused, not sure what Bee needed to tell Crowley, and Ezra’s stomach dropped. “I have to speak with you.” 

And there it was. 

Due to the sudden change of heart in protecting their newfound family in the book, Bee comes forward to tell Crowley the truth about the assassin attack and how they had it arranged. They would go on to say they tried to stop the attack, but it had been too late and Crowley would be so furious about their betrayal that he would send Bee away. 

“Does it have to be right at this moment?” Crowley asked. “I have to check on the company and start them on getting packed up in case the assassins send backup and--”

“They’re not coming back.” Bee said immediately, straightening their shoulders and raising their chin. It was that stance that made Crowley falter and Ezra felt his fingers tighten around his arms. 

“And may I ask how you know that?” 

“Because I sent them.” 

Time seemed to slow down after that point as Ezra watched the look of alarm form on Gabriel’s face followed by the absolute fury on Crowley’s. 

“What did you  _ do _ ?” Gabriel asked and Bee turned to look at him, fingers curling into fists at their side at seeing the look on his face. “You brought them right to us?”

“Gabriel, I can  _ explain--” _

“He is not the one you need to be explaining anything to.” Crowley said firmly. His voice had a sharpness to it that Ezra had never heard before, his expression closed off and cold. “You betrayed my trust and threatened the safety of the company with your actions, now you  _ will _ tell me the truth. Who do you work for?” 

“...Your uncle hired me to spy on you and gain your trust.” Bee admitted and Ezra winced around the throbbing in his head. He’d been hoping that he could have prevented this conversation somehow, but for every second that ticked on, the situation only got worse. “I hired the assassins to have you killed before you could reach the kingdom.”

“But you fought them off. You tried to stop them.” Gabriel pointed out. “Why?”

“I was convinced that Crowley would be a terrible fit for the throne and then I actually  _ met _ him.” Bee continued. “I saw the way this company followed him and how much respect they had for him and then I realized maybe it was  _ Lucifer _ who was wrong--”

“Get out.” 

Bee swallowed and Ezra looked up at Crowley in alarm. 

“Your highness--” 

“No. You may have helped fight off those assassins, but it doesn’t make up for the fact you brought them here in the first place.” Crowley told them. “How do I know this isn’t just another story?” 

“But it isn’t--!” 

“Get. Out.” 

“Darling, let’s not be too rash.” Ezra said softly, trying to calm his anger and bring him back to his regular level-headedness. “Obviously Bee has had a change of heart and we should reconsider--” 

“No, it’s alright.” Bee said suddenly, avoiding all of their gazes. Ezra began to shake his head, distraught at the gutted look on Gabriel’s face and the defeat on Bee’s. “Whatever his highness requests.”

“Bee, you don’t have to--” 

“Come on, angel.” Crowley murmured, putting a hand on the small of his back and leading him off, not sparing Bee a second glance. Ezra followed though he looked back over his shoulder to see Bee turn to Gabriel, open their mouth as if to say something, and then close it as Gabriel turned to walk away. “Let’s get your head looked at. We’re finished here.”

  
  


* * *

“You just attract all kinds of injuries, don’t you, Mister Aziraphale?” The healer mused, fingers gently probing along the back of his head. “It seems I always have you in here with something.” 

“It wasn’t my fault this time.” Ezra grumbled, wincing as her fingers touched a particularly tender spot and she hushed him when he tried to jerk away. 

“No matter how it happened, it doesn’t make it less true.” She pointed out, removing her hands from his head. “I think you’ll be fine, but I’ll give you something for the pain so you can rest. No more fights for you today.” 

“How will I ever survive?” Ezra asked in amusement and watched the healer leave the tent which only left him and Crowley remaining. He looked to Crowley, offering him a faint smile, and held out his hand for him. “You’ve got your angry face on.” 

“Because I’m angry.” Crowley told him, taking Ezra’s hand and gently pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “I can’t believe we had a spy right under our noses this entire time that was planning to kill us.” 

“A spy that had a change of heart and tried to protect us.” Ezra reminded him, tugging his hand until he was sitting beside him on the cot. He had to try to fix the Bee issue and make it right again; the company needed Bee and Crowley needed to realize how much he needed them around too. “Bee saved Gabriel’s life, even tried to stop the attack. That has to count for something, right?” 

“Which is why I let them leave. Aziraphale, it’s very--” Crowley paused, pulling his gaze from their joined hands to instead look at Ezra’s face. “How...How did you know that they tried to stop it?” 

Ezra blinked, mind reeling as it attempted to cover up his mistake. “Ah...W-Well, Bee told us that they tried to stop it, didn’t they?” He asked innocently, but judging by the look on his face, he knew Crowley didn’t buy it. 

“No, they didn’t.” Crowley said with a frown. His face went through a variety of emotions before it settled on something that Ezra had never seen directed at himself before: anger. “You knew Bee was a spy the entire time, didn’t you.”

Ezra took a deep breath. “I did.” 

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“I-I was going to!” Ezra said quickly. “But I gave it an awful lot of thought, darling, and well, I decided against it.”

“And why not?” 

“Beelzebub is an important character in the story. If I’d told you they were planning an attack, you might have had them sent away or even killed.” Ezra explained. “I didn’t want to risk it when I knew it would turn out alright in the end.” 

“You didn’t  _ want  _ to--Ezra, they planned on  _ killing us. _ ” 

“I was confident that no one would die in the attack. I was a bit off the mark, but books can be so vague about these things.” Ezra said, confused as to  _ why _ Crowley was so upset. It wasn’t as if this was the first time he hadn’t told Crowley something was about to happen, sometimes he simply couldn’t tell him at all. “I-I tried to prevent it altogether on my own? I thought if I could convince Bee that the cause was worth following then I could just stop the attack completely!” 

“I can’t believe you kept this from me.” Crowley scoffed, pulling his hand from Ezra’s and running it through his hair instead. “I can’t believe you would try to do this on your  _ own _ . We’re a team, Ezra!”

“I had it under control!”

“You were nearly  _ killed _ in that attack.” Crowley snapped because that was it, wasn’t it? Crowley was upset because Ezra had nearly been killed in an attack he never warned him about. “If I had been just a bit more distance away, if I hadn’t been there fast enough, you would have been killed right there!”

“Darling--”

“Even if you couldn’t  _ tell _ me directly, you could have said  _ something _ ! A warning even!” 

“Anthony, I’m--” 

“Don’t. Just...don’t. Not now.” Crowley stood up, waved his hand in dismissal. He took a few long strides to the entrance of the tent, hesitated, then looked back at him. “I have to check on the men, make sure everyone else is alright.” 

Ezra opened his mouth to say something, anything, to try to prevent Crowley from leaving while angry, but he walked out of the tent without another word and Ezra swallowed down the lump in his throat. 

For the first time since his return from his world, Ezra was alone. 

And he didn’t like it one bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on book two! 
> 
> As before, I'm taking a little hiatus to prepare the third book. 
> 
> Thank you kindly for all of your kind words and support :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments? 
> 
> Love to hear them :)


End file.
